Game system with marked play-pieces

Abstract

A game system uses play-pieces, such as figurines, cards, and maps, each having multiple, machine-readable indicia. A hand-held reader for the indicia communicates with a computer, such as a tablet or smart phone. Players select which indicia to read with the reader, thereby identifying specific figurines, locations, commands, and the like by direct reference to the play-pieces themselves. Certain parameters associated with specific play-pieces are stored in a database of the computer, and may change over time, whether from progress in the game, or from updates made available online.

I claim:  
     
       1. A system for playing games, the system comprising:
 a first hand-holdable play-piece, the first play-piece marked with a first indicium readable as a first data, the first data representative of at least a command; 
 at least one of a second hand-holdable play-piece and a third hand-holdable play-piece, 
 the second play-piece marked with a second indicium readable as a second data, the second data representative of at least a first play-piece identifier corresponding to the second play-piece, the second play-piece located at a first location on a map; 
 the third play-piece comprising the map, the third play-piece marked with a third indicium readable as a third data, the third data representative of at least a second location on the map; 
 a first computer programmed to determine results on the basis of at least one rule of a game, 
 the first computer having access to a display to show a result in the game to a player; and, 
 an indicia reader having communication with the first computer,
 the reader to send data corresponding to detected indicia to the first computer; 
 
 wherein
 the reader detects as a first selected indicium the first indicia, 
 the reader sends a first selected data corresponding to the first selected indicium to the first computer, 
 the reader detects as a second selected indicium one of the second indicium and third indicium, 
 the reader sends a second selected data corresponding to the second selected indicium to the first computer; 
 the first computer determines the result based on at least the first selected data representing the command and the second selected data representing a direct object of the command, and 
 the first computer shows the result on the display. 
 
 
     
     
       2. The system of  claim 1  wherein the command is to move with the location associated with the object of the command as a destination. 
     
     
       3. The system of  claim 1  wherein the third data is further representative of a second play-piece identifier corresponding to the third play-piece and the first computer determines the result further based on the second identifier. 
     
     
       4. The system of  claim 1  wherein at least one of the play-pieces comprises a card and the corresponding indicium is provided on the card. 
     
     
       5. The system of  claim 1  wherein the first play-piece comprises a figure. 
     
     
       6. The system of  claim 5  wherein the first indicium is provided on the figure. 
     
     
       7. The system of  claim 5  wherein the first play-piece further comprises a base. 
     
     
       8. The system of  claim 7  wherein the first indicium is provided on the base. 
     
     
       9. The system of  claim 7  wherein the first indicium is provided on a sticker applied to the base. 
     
     
       10. The system of  claim 1  wherein the first data is further representative of a second play-piece identifier corresponding to the first play-piece and the first computer determines the result further based on the second identifier. 
     
     
       11. The system of  claim 1  wherein the command is to attack with the object of the command as a target. 
     
     
       12. The system of  claim 1 
 wherein the first play-piece is located at a third location on the map and
 the first computer determines the result further based on the third location. 
 
 
     
     
       13. The system of  claim 12  wherein the first computer determines the result further based on a fourth location between the third location and the location corresponding to the object of the command as a target. 
     
     
       14. The system of  claim 13  wherein the command is to move with the location corresponding to the object of the command as a destination. 
     
     
       15. The system of  claim 13  wherein the command is to attack with the object of the command as a target. 
     
     
       16. The system of  claim 1  further comprising:
 a database,
 the first computer having access to the database, 
 the database containing at least one parameter associated with at least one of the first and second selected data, 
 wherein the first computer further determines the result from the at least one parameter. 
 
 
     
     
       17. The system of  claim 16  wherein the database is updated from a server via the Internet. 
     
     
       18. The system of  claim 1  wherein the result is uploaded by the computer to a server through the Internet. 
     
     
       19. A system for use in games played with computers programmed to determine game results in response to data received from indicia readers, the system comprising:
 a first movable play-piece,
 the first play-piece marked by a first and second indicia, 
 the first indicia machine-readable as corresponding first data representative of at least one of
 a) a play-piece identifier, 
 b) a location, and 
 c) a command 
 
 the second indicia machine-readable as corresponding second different data representative of at least one of
 d) the same play-piece identifier, 
 e) a different location, 
 f) a different command; 
 
 
 wherein at least one of the first and second data is associated in a database accessible by the Internet with at least one parameter usable by a computer to determine a result of a game. 
 
     
     
       20. The system of  claim 19  wherein the data corresponding to the first indicium is representative of the identity of the first play-piece. 
     
     
       21. The system of  claim 20  wherein the identity is unique to the first play-piece with respect to a plurality of play-pieces. 
     
     
       22. The system of  claim 21  wherein the first play-piece represents a game character. 
     
     
       23. The system of  claim 20  wherein the first play-piece represents a game character. 
     
     
       24. The system of  claim 20  wherein the first play-piece is a map and the data corresponding to the first indicium is further representative of a location on the map. 
     
     
       25. The system of  claim 19  wherein the first play-piece is a map and the data corresponding to the first indicium is representative of a location on the map. 
     
     
       26. A system for use in games played with computers programmed to determine game results in response to provided data, the system comprising:
 a first movable play-piece,
 the first play-piece marked by a first indicium, 
 the first indicium machine-readable as first data representative of at least a command; 
 
 a second movable play-piece,
 the second play-piece marked by a second indicium, 
 the second indicium machine-readable as second different data representative of at least a location; and, 
 
 an indicia reader manipulable by a player of a game to read the first indicium to provide, to a computer, the command represented by the first data and to read the second indicium to provide, to the computer, the location represented by the second data as a target of the command; 
 wherein the system is able to provide the command and the location as an object of the command on the basis of manipulation by a player of the game, allowing the computer to determine game results in response. 
 
     
     
       27. The system of  claim 26  further comprising:
 a machine-readable database of game-related information selectable with at least one of the first and second data. 
 
     
     
       28. A system for use in a game, the system comprising:
 a first movable play-piece,
 the first play-piece marked by a first indicium, 
 the first indicium machine-readable as corresponding first data representative of at least a command; 
 
 a second movable play-piece,
 the second play-piece marked by a second indicium, 
 the second indicium machine-readable as corresponding second data representative of at least a play-piece identifier corresponding to the second play-piece; 
 
 a map,
 the map marked by a third indicium, 
 the third indicium machine-readable as corresponding third data representative of at least a first location, the second play-piece located at the first location; 
 
 an indicia reader manipulable by a player of the game to read the first indicium to provide the command represented by the first data and to read the second indicium to provide the target of the command represented by the second data; 
 a machine-readable database of game-related information for the first location; 
 a computer having access to the database, the computer further having communication with the indicia reader, the computer programmed to determine a result of the game in response to the command, the target of the command, and the game-related information for at least the first location; and, 
 a display, the computer having communication with the display, the computer further programmed to present the result on the display. 
 
     
     
       29. The system of  claim 28  wherein the result is uploaded by the computer to a server through the Internet.